Patient
by LifelongObsessor
Summary: Post S3: When a terrible car accident puts Veronica in the hospital with no recollection of what happened, life gets a tad complicated. Her friends are acting strange, something seems a bit off, and who hit her is still a mystery.. one that needs solving.
1. Prologue

**Hello all! LifelongObsessor here!**

**This will be my second Veronica Mars fanfic by the time I have finished, my first multi-chaptered one in this category. I'm excited. Are you excited? Maybe not as much as me.**

**This fic is meant to take place post season three as my version of what could have happened after the show's conclusion. Loose ends make me jumpy.**

**I have based this fic loosely off Michele Jaffe's teen novel Rosebush. It's a creepy read and a great story if you have the time to check it out! This is NOT, however, me re-writing Rosebush with the Veronica Mars characters. What I have taken is the initial premise - a teenage girl in hospital, confined to her bed and struggling to figure out what happened to her.**

**The prologue is short, but chapters will get longer, I promise.**

**Also, I feel it goes without saying, but I DON'T OWN VERONICA MARS. If I did, helloooooo Logan. ;)**

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

Veronica hated driving at night; in fairness, Veronica hated doing _anything_ at night these days. The dark always brought up dark memories of gunfire on rooftops, roofies at parties, shaved heads in parking lots and hang-out time in a burning refrigerator. She had been through a lot of trauma for someone still in their teen years to be sure, been through trauma that would have sent grown men crying to their mothers and vowing to never again leave the house. Veronica, however, didn't _have_ a mother to go crying to, so she had picked herself up, buried the feelings of terror her memories of night-time still brought her and continued to have a life that included star-lit excursions.

Driving, however, still gave Veronica a hard time. Every time she drove under a streetlight, Veronica found her eyes darting to a mirror, searching for any signs of glinting, evil eyes watching from her backseat. She doubted that feeling would ever go away, no matter how much time passed, so she usually went out of her way to avoid night-time driving all together. Luckily for her, it was only about 7:30 now so the sky was still rather light, even if it was a tad darker than usual from all the nasty weather Neptune had been hit with lately. Even if had been later, Veronica still would have driven; tonight it would have been worth it.

Someone was about to get it, a full-out Veronica Mars bust. It had been a while since she'd verbally blown someone's hair back with a wave of sought-out truth, and Veronica was looking forward to it. She felt almost entitled to this moment; she'd had a pretty garbage time lately, with the craziness of the year before, her endless roller-coaster ride with Logan, the trials of her and Piz's relationship over the summer, not to mention all the events from earlier that day alone … But no. Veronica wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking about how good this bust was gonna feel, how good the look on the perpetrator's face was going to be when she blew this case wide open.

The outline of the Neptune Grande came into view against the sky. Veronica began to smile as she turned in that direction; her moment was so close. Maybe solving this case could even get her back in her father's good graces, prove to him that she was capable of more than he gave her credit for …

She pulled her eyes away from the majestic hotel and briefly took in some of the other sights around her. A woman walking a small energetic dog. Two kids buying ice-cream cones. A pair of birds dancing in the darkening sky. Veronica grinned wider as she turned her eyes back to the road – maybe night-time driving had something to be said for it after all.

That was when Veronica saw the headlights barreling toward her.

The car was mere meters away and driving at a heightened speed. Veronica didn't even have time to swerve. She strained her eyes, trying to at least get a good view of who was driving the car. If her life didn't end just now, and there was a good chance it might, she was going to I.D. this driver when it was all over. Veronica squinted. Her jaw dropped.

"Oh my god … It's you," she whispered. The two cars collided.

Veronica heard the scream of metal meeting metal, the crush of the two cars making impact. Then she didn't hear anything.

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><p><strong>You know what would be positively swell? Some reviews! Shoot some my way please please pleaaaaaase? ;)<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ohai guys! I have at last returned with a new chapter! I, for one, am surprised!**

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews last chapter, as well as for the Story Alerts and even a few Favorites! I was so very pleased! I'm glad you are enjoying the story thus far?**

**I promised longer chapters, and this one is indeed longer. In fact, it kind of got away from me, so that's a change.**

**I'll leave you to it. Thank you for your patience and enjoy Chapter One!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

Veronica didn't know where she was.

She was lying down, of that much was sure, but she definitely wasn't in her own bed. The feel of it was all wrong and she could hear noises, strange beeping noises that had no place in her bedroom. Veronica knew opening her eyes would be the best method of discovering exactly where she was, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was so tired, so groggy. It was a familiar feeling, this grogginess. When had she felt this way before? It took her a moment to place it. It was almost like …

Shelly's party.

At that moment a wave of pain flooded Veronica's body, a wave so strong that she nearly cried out. She forgot all about the drugs that must have been coursing through her body. What was going on? Where on Earth was she? Veronica shuddered and, with great effort, forced herself to open her eyes.

A hospital. _She was in a hospital_. Veronica suddenly felt a wave of relief, at least for a moment – the pain and grogginess were somehow far less scary now. She must have been on medication for the pain. She wasn't drugged; she was being treated … but treated for what? What had happened to her? Where was her father? Was he alright?

Veronica could feel herself beginning to panic. Her breathing picked up speed and she was on the verge of tears when she heard a voice coming from across the room, an angry voice she couldn't quite place…

" … But you just _had_ to do it now, didn't you? You couldn't have waited just a few _hours_? You did things your way, right?" The voice paused and suddenly quieted to a mutter; Veronica had to strain to hear what was said next. "Sure you did, because obviously nothing _EVER_ unfolds the way an _Echolls_ wants it to!" This statement was followed with a noise, like a chair being kicked over, before the voice continued. "The day was going so damn well before this, too. The universe is definitely out to get me."

The muttering continued as Veronica's groggy mind finally came to terms with what she was hearing and the feeling of calm that rapidly spread through her once she figured it out. There was only one person that voice could belong to, one person in all the world.

"Logan …?" Veronica rasped. _Ew. I sound gross_, she thought. How long had it been since she last spoke? She sounded like her grandmother. Possibly even the dead one. Blech.

Her former boyfriend's voice screeched to a stop. There was a beat of silence, then a tentative, "Veronica?"

Veronica decided to take another stab at talking. "Hey, Moon Pie," she said softly, trying desperately to avoid another moment of elderly enunciation. She wanted to crane her neck and find him in her room's shadows, but a sharp pain in her neck advised her that this would be a bad idea.

Luckily for her, Logan's face suddenly came into view as he stepped from the dark into her field of vision. As always, Veronica's eyes were quickly drawn to his face. What she saw there frightened her; his lips were pursed, as if he were not quite sure she was real and actually capable of speech. His eyes seemed to mirror that, oozing with disbelief mixed with hesitant hope. "Gauging your reaction," she said, trying to lighten the mood and brush the effect his features had on her off, "I'd say long time no talk?"

That did the trick. A smile quickly stretched across Logan's face as he sunk into the chair beside her with a short, breathy laugh. "Yeah," he said, reaching to take her hand. "I guess you could say that."

_That doesn't sound good._ "How long was I out?"

"Since yesterday," Logan said, a slight frown returning to his face. Veronica's eyes quickly darted to the digital clock on the wall – 4:00 pm. _What on Earth happened to me?_ She guiltily flashed her eyes back to Logan, but he didn't seem to have noticed her actions and continued talking. "They wouldn't let me in to see you until now," he continued. "The hospital has a pretty strict 'family only' policy, which kind of makes the likes of me excluded." A smile returned to his face, albeit a weak one.

Veronica's mind was still struggling to make out his previous words. "I've been out since yesterday?"

He nodded slowly. "They had you on some pretty heavy painkillers. I knew that, but it was still freaking me out a little that you hadn't woken up yet. I kept expecting you to sit up and start accusing me of stalking because I was watching you sleep or something."

A grin played at Veronica's lips. Ow. "Give me time to recharge, Echolls, and maybe I will."

Logan's smile intensified. "You better."

There was silence for a moment, that awkward moment that occurs when a person is looking for the words to say next. Finally, the two cried out in perfect unison, "So what happened?"

Logan blinked. "You're asking _me _what happened?" He shook his head. "No, no, Ronnie. This is the part where _you_ tell _me _how you got into that accident."

It was Veronica's turn to blink. "Accident?"

"You really don't remember?"

Veronica smiled sadly. "Fill me in?"

Logan's eyes scanned her face for the truth. Convinced she honestly didn't know what had happened, he began. "You were driving along the highway yesterday night sometime around 7:30 when you had a head-on collision. A red truck was on your side of the road and you had no chance to pull off." He paused, gauging her reaction. "Ringing any bells in there, Veronica?"

Headlights. Screaming. Panic. "Yeah," she said softly, shuddering. _Thank god I'm okay._

Logan's grip on her hand tightened, causing Veronica to look into his face. He bit his lip, considering, before finally spitting out, "Veronica, they don't think it was an accident."

Veronica blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"The sheriff's office," he clarified, his voice dropping an octave. "They think … someone tried to kill you."

_The sheriff's office?_ Veronica stifled a laugh and was instantly met with more pain. She definitely should not be talking this much so soon. "Vinnie thinks someone is trying to _off _me?" she was unable to repress herself from saying. "Because if _Vinnie Van Lowe_ says it, it _must_ be true!"

Logan frowned. "Witnesses are saying the car sped up when it was coming at you," he clarified. "And no one was in the truck when the ambulance got there. They were already gone."

The entire situation was suddenly sounding plausible to Veronica's ears. "Whose truck?" she managed to choke out, despite the growing terror she could feel growing in her chest.

"You guessed it." Logan raised his eyebrows. "_Stolen._ Right from the Grande's parking lot." He shook his head. "Can you remember anything else, Veronica? Do you have any idea who would want to hurt you? Who would be driving?"

Veronica strained to remember, searching for any memory at all that may be relevant to what had happened. "No. Nothing," she sighed finally.

Logan's eyes met hers in an intense glare. "Well, what DO you remember?" he questioned, his voice sounding harsh yet soft at the same time. "What's the very last thing you remember thinking?"

Veronica's head was pounding. _Think, think, think … Ah. Right. _"I hate olives," she said proudly.

Logan stared at her. "What?"

"Supper. Two nights ago now, I guess," she explained. "Dad called for pizza and had the audacity to get it with olives. I can't _stand _olives. Under any circumstances._ Ever_."

Logan's face fell. "So you really can't remember anything at all about yesterday? Not even – " he stopped. He paused a moment, took a deep breath and started again. "Nothing?"

Veronica looked at him suspiciously. "No." _What are you hiding, Mr. Echolls? What were you about to say? _Veronica was suddenly struck with a far more important thought. "Where was I going?"

"What?"

"The night of the crash. Where was I going to? It might be important, or could at least help me remember."

There was a moment of silence before Logan said, "Java the Hutt."

Veronica frowned, confused. "The coffee house?" _Why was I headed there?_ "I haven't worked there or even stopped in for coffee in ages," she voiced aloud, returning her gaze to Logan's. "Why was I going there?"

Logan shrugged, averting his eyes. "I don't know, Veronica. Maybe - "

There was a sudden creak from the door, followed by a short, "_Oh. Um_." Logan leapt back; Veronica hadn't realized how close his face had been to hers until that moment.

Veronica ignored the pain in her neck for a moment to peer out to the door and was greeted with the disapproving glares of not only her father, but Piz as well.

_Piz. My boyfriend Piz. Wait._ Veronica was suddenly very aware of her boyfriend's watchful eyes. And the fact that her hand was still laced with Logan's. _Crap._

"I'll just … check in later?" Piz said it as if it were a question, quickly turning and exiting to the hallway.

"No! Piz! I'm so glad to see you, I - " But Piz was already gone_. Argh._ Veronica pried her hand free from Logan's; he didn't seem to notice. He was a tad preoccupied with the death glare her father was shooting in his direction.

"Logan," Keith Mars nodded, his glare still evident on his face.

"Sheriff," Logan replied, somehow stifling his initial snarky response of 'Dude'.

It was silent in Veronica's room for a moment before Keith said, "Could I have a moment alone with my daughter please?"

Logan flashed a quick look back at Veronica. Seeing no objection in her eyes, he seemed to deflate. "Yeah," he said finally. "Sure." He got up from his bedside chair and headed for the door.

Veronica watched him go with a large amount of scrutiny. She had been so preoccupied with his face earlier that she hadn't even noticed his clothes. _(How embarrassing.) _There was nothing peculiar about the outfit itself, a striped T-shirt and jeans, but they did seem a tad rumpled and disheveled_. It's as if he slept in them,_ Veronica suddenly realized with surprise. _Did he sleep at the hospital last night?_

That thought in itself was frightening, but there was something else Veronica couldn't place, some other reason Logan's clothing choice was tugging at her mind. It was almost as if she had seen this exact outfit before, perhaps yesterday …

And then the flashback hit.

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><p><em>"Leaving so soon, Mars?"<em>

_Veronica spun on her heel, suddenly finding herself face to face with the one person she had been trying desperately to avoid. "I'm sorry, Logan, did you say something to me?" she asked sweetly. "Wow, this Jerk Repellent really isn't doing the trick today." She went to saunter off towards her car but was stopped by a hand on her elbow that pulled her back._

_Logan raised an eyebrow, letting go of her arm. "'Jerk Repellent'? Geez, Veronica, you're off your game."_

_Veronica rolled her eyes. "Is there something I can help you with, Echolls? Or are we just playing with fire and grabbing life by the testes today?"_

_Unexpectedly, Logan's entire jerk façade suddenly dropped, surprising Veronica and, frankly, almost ticking her off. It was much easier to hate Logan when he was being a moron; how dare he decide to look at her that way now, with the soulful puppy dog eyes and lines of concern etched in his forehead. _

_She quickly averted her eyes, locking them instead on his chest. She could tell, even through his striped shirt, that he had definitely been taking care of himself if his muscles were anything to go by._

_Oh hello, inappropriate thoughts. Nice to see you._

_"Actually," Logan said, pulling Veronica's attention back to his face and soft words, "I was wondering if I could help you."_

_Veronica blinked, still momentarily stunned by his attitude change. "With what?"_

_Logan frowned, suddenly averting his gaze. "Listen … I heard what happened this morning. I'm really sorry."_

_All the positive emotions Veronica had just been feeling about Logan vanished. "So that's it," she said coolly. "Didn't miss any time throwing salt in this wound, eh Echolls?"_

_Logan blinked. "What? No, I - " He huffed. "This is so totally you, Veronica. I go out of my way to be decent, and you go and - "_

_"Totally ME, Logan? What about YOU? Just admit it, you're THRILLED things worked out this way."_

_His glare hardened. "Veronica."_

_"Just say it, Logan," she snapped. "I've had enough lies out of you."_

_"Fine, okay?" he snapped in return. "Maybe it was the best piece of news I could have gotten all day. Nothing brings joy to my heart like knowing Veronica Freaking Mars is hurting. Happy now, Veronica? Is that what you wanted to hear?"_

_Veronica blinked. "Stay away from me, Logan. Don't talk to me." And with that, Veronica turned on her heel and stormed off._

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><p>Veronica snapped back to the present. She and Logan had fought the day before? Why didn't he mention it? Is this what he had been about to bring up before? If they had been fighting, were her suspicions he had stayed at the hospital completely false? She had been so sure he had stayed out of worry for her, but now nothing was making sense.<p>

The squeak of the chair beside her pulled her back from her thoughts. Right now was not the time for theorizing and doubt. Now was a time for talking to her father, who she loved, and maybe learning just how long she was going to be stuck in this hospital.

After all, if she was gonna be in here for a while, she had all the time in the world to question the motives of her peculiar millionaire ex-boyfriend.

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><p><strong>I've said it before, I'll say it now, and I'm certain I'll say it again; reviews please? :)<strong>

**Next chapter will begin to let us in on Veronica's most recent mystery, as well as feature some strange behavior from Keith.**

**See you then!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello there, my patient Patient readers!**

**... Okay, bad joke, I know. I'm sorry.**

**I'm also sorry it has taken me SO LONG to update this story! Life kind of got away from me, leaving me little-to-no time to write, not to mention the fact the long hiatus let all of my once-fresh ideas fade in my head, so I had to rediscover them. Many people have asked me if I plan to continue this story; the answer is a big ole YES, it just may take me a while. (The same goes for my currnt Doctor Who story, 'You Never Forget How To Be Noble', if anyone is reading that as well.) I'm going to try to write as much as I possibly can over this holiday break, but we'll see how that works out ;)**

**For now, I hope you enjoy this new, long-awaited chapter! Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

Veronica had no idea what to expect out of her father at this point, let alone what _she_ was going to say to _him_. She therefore saw it as a stroke of luck when a nurse entered her room before he had a chance to speak, saying there were some tests that had to be done. A few needles, beams on light shone in her eyes and questions about the crash she couldn't answer later, the nurse exited and Veronica was left alone with former sheriff Keith Mars, still completely unprepared.

Her father's face was full of relief, though she could still see a trace of concern in his eyes (which was understandable, given she was still in the hospital.) The hostile look he had flashed Logan previously had vanished completely; he was entirely focused on Veronica now. He reached out and pushed her hair back from her forehead, his eyes never leaving her face. "How're you feeling, sweetheart?"

Veronica smiled, glad they were starting out slow before getting to the hard questions. "A little sore," she answered honestly, "and my head feels a little weird, but other than that I'm A-Okay, Daddy-O."

Keith nodded, frowning slightly. "You really can't remember the crash?" he asked. "You certainly didn't have much to say to the nurse about it."

Veronica sighed. "I just remember being afraid I was going to die," she said softly. She locked eyes with her father. "I _don't_ remember who was driving the truck, if that's what you were getting at, _Detective Mars_," she said playfully, raising an eyebrow.

Keith cracked a smile. "It was worth a try," he shrugged unabashedly. "Let's not worry about that now, though," he said, becoming serious again. "All I want for you to do now is get better."

Veronica nodded.

"I mean it, Veronica."

Veronica blinked, widening her eyes. "What?" she asked with mock innocence.

"I don't want you looking into what happened," he said sternly, raising a finger to her face. "Take a break from playing detective for a while. Your health is all that matters to me, and I don't want you getting into any more trouble. You've had more than your fair share lately."

Veronica struggled to make sense of his words, her groggy mind working at max speed to understand his words. "How have I been getting into trouble lately?" she asked in her confusion. "What did I do?"

Her father just sighed. "Let's not get into that right now, okay Veronica?"

"But I don't remember …" Veronica trailed off, still uncomprehending what she could have done to have her father so worried. _Why does he have so little trust in me?_ "And how could I get myself in trouble by looking for a driver?" she continued. "I was in an automobile accident, not the subject of an assassination attempt."

Keith Mars was silent, simply taking Veronica's hands in his, refusing to meet her eyes.

Suddenly it clicked. "You don't think it was an accident, either," she whispered.

Her father's eyes flew up to meet Veronica's face. They stared at each other, unspeaking for a moment, before he said simply, "Logan told you?" His eyes momentarily flashed again with anger.

Veronica said nothing, but that was the only answer Keith needed. He sighed. "I may not like Vinnie Van Lowe," she said slowly, "but you and I both know that he is a damn good detective. He may not be too far off base on this one."

Veronica's eyes grew even wider. _I can't believe this is happening._ "So you think someone is trying to kill me?" she asked fearfully. _This wouldn't be the first time, but still …_

"Not _kill_ you," Keith said quickly, hearing the panic growing in his daughter's voice. "There are easier ways to do that." Seeing Veronica's face fill with terror again, he added, "I mean, if someone were in fact trying to kill you, there are ways that are more effective and would put them in less danger. After all, they could have killed themselves in the crash had they hit you the right way." He shook his head. "No, I think they just wanted to scare you, or maybe hurt you."

_It's probably a bad sign that I'm really glad someone was trying to hurt me, right?_ _Yeesh._ Despite this, Veronica was relieved death may not have been the other driver's intent, and her relief allowed her to think more objectively. "Was the driver of the other vehicle injured?" she asked.

Keith shook his head. "We don't know. He, or she, swerved a little at the last second. The passenger side of the truck took most of the damage, not the driver's side like your car did." He sighed. "I'm sure Logan told you the driver had bailed by the time police got there?" Veronica nodded. "They didn't find any blood in the car. It's possible they broke a bone or at the very least got bruised up a bit, but we have no way of knowing."

_Of course._ "But why would they want to hurt me?" Veronica mused aloud. "What did I do?"

There was a beat of silence. Finally, Keith said, "Veronica … Is there any chance this could be related to the case you were working on?"

_Case? What case? Was I working on a – _

Then she remembered something from the previous morning.

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><p><em>"I asked you not to do this, Veronica!"<em>

_"No, Dad, you TOLD me not to do this!"_

_"All the more reason you should have listened to me! What were you thinking?"_

_Veronica tossed her long-since empty coffee cup in the garbage can and turned, angrily facing her father across their kitchen counter. "What was I thinking, Dad? I was thinking that I haven't worked a case in a long time. I was thinking that work at the agency has been slow lately since Vinnie's been spreading slander all around Neptune about you and soon we're gonna need some more cash to make ends meet. I was thinking I would actually help someone by doing something I'm great at and that I love. I was THINKING," she finished, eyes flashing, "that I could actually do everyone some good by taking this case!"_

_"And put yourself in danger?" Keith snapped back. "You've seen what happens when you get involved in a case, Veronica. You always end up in some sort of peril and someone has to come and rescue you before you cause more harm than you were trying to prevent. I told you to take a break from cases, and you didn't listen. I won't stand for it, Veronica. I won't let you do this."_

_Veronica was furious now. "Won't LET me?" she steamed. "Dad, this case isn't even DANGEROUS! It's just your basic, run-of-the-mill stalker! He's really starting to scare this girl and I just want to lend her a hand!"_

_"Why is this not filling me with confidence?" Keith asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Stalking. How much trouble have you gotten into while working stalking cases before? Oh, that's right; BOATLOADS OF IT."_

_Veronica grabbed her coat of the back of a chair in one swift motion. "I'm a grown woman now, Dad. An adult. You can't stop me from doing this. I'm not going to get hurt. No one is going to get hurt!"_

_Veronica's hand was on the doorknob, poised to open it and escape this argument, when her father said, "I spoke to Piz this morning. He told me."_

_Veronica stopped, but did not turn around. She was silent a moment before taking a deep breath and saying coolly, "What does that have to do with this? Or anything? What's your point?"_

_"My point is, Veronica," Keith said softly, "is that even adults can get hurt sometimes."_

_Veronica sighed again. "I can't talk about this right now," she said, opening the door and taking a step outside._

_"Was it Logan?" she heard her father yell angrily before the door slammed shut. "Veronica, don't walk out on me! Come back here! Was it Logan? Was it? Veronica? VERONICA!"_

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><p>"Veronica? Are you listening to me?"<p>

Snapping back to the present, Veronica said, "Yes, Dad, I heard you." _So I WAS working a case. That's what trouble Dad accused me of getting into! Why don't I ever listen to him? _"I don't know if the crash was case-related or not. I honestly can't really remember much about it."

Keith nodded sadly. "Don't worry about it, Veronica. I'll figure all of this out." He stood up, kissing her forehead. "Please don't disobey me and investigate this time, okay? Let me handle it."

Veronica flashed him a weak smile. "Okay, Dad."

"I'm gonna let you get some rest," he said, bending over and stroking her hair again. "You've had a rough time. You need to let your body recharge. And that whip-smart mind of yours," he joked, lightly tapping her forehead. Veronica smiled at that and Keith made his way towards to door.

"Dad?" Veronica asked, suddenly remembering something.

"Yes?" he said, turning, a small smile on his face.

"Why were you so angry with Logan?" she asked. "You looked really displeased with him when you came in earlier."

Keith's grin faltered for a moment before he regained his composure. "I guess," he said slowly, "I was just upset it was his face you saw when you woke up instead of mine." He gave a small wave and left Veronica's room.

Veronica frowned. _Yeah right, Dad. That doesn't explain why you were so angry with him yesterday. And what WERE you so angry about? What did you think Logan did? What did Piz tell you? Is this related at all to the case I was working? The stalking case? Who was being stalked? Who was doing the stalking? GOD, why can't I just REMEMBER anything?_

Suddenly Veronica found herself very tired. _Whatever you were lying about, Dad, I guess my needing rest wasn't included._ She yawned deeply, which pained her face a little. _I guess I could recharge my batteries a bit … I can think about all of this later … right?_

With those last thoughts, Veronica drifted off to sleep. She didn't stir when someone placed a vase of daisies on her bedside table. She didn't wake when her father returned, placing a childhood stuffed animal in her arms and tucking her in. She didn't move when a nurse came in to check her charts and made a few ticks on a sheet of paper.

And she certainly didn't notice when a dark figure stood in her doorway, watching her sleep for a few moments, before slinking off into the hospital corridor.

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><p><strong>There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! PLEASE review and let me know what you think! You could even review to tell me what you think will happen next! Your speculations over what Veronica has gotten herself into make me smile.<strong>

**A few people have also asked me if this will eventually be a LoVe story. We'll get there. Wait and see ;)**

**Again, reviews are much appreciated and thank you so much for sticking with me!**

**- LifelongObsessor**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone!**

**I wanted this chapter to be up sooner, but better late than never, I suppose!**

**I'll let you get right down to it. This chapter is a bit longer than my usual ones. Enjoy!**

**Also, since I haven't said it in a while, I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its characters. I just love them so much that I can't seem to leave them alone :)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

It was almost surprising how quickly Veronica had fallen asleep after her father left. She hadn't thought it possible to achieve such a state of near-perfect tranquility after finding out someone had plans to either kill or seriously injure her, but apparently her body was above such petty emotions as 'fear' and allowed her to sleep through the night.

Then again, maybe it was just the pain meds.

Whatever the case, Veronica certainly wished she could simply fall asleep again because, thus far, her day had been very, very dull.

The nurses had been in a few times, checking some charts and her medication before flitting quickly out of the room without much discussion. Veronica had flagged down an aged and stern-looking one long enough to determine what the exact nature of her injuries were; apparently the worst of it was a broken leg, a result of the front end of her car crushing into it during the collision. Luckily this didn't pain too much as Veronica was on very good pain meds, but it did mean she was confined to her bed for a while with no chance of escape. She also had a minor case of whiplash, explaining the pain she had been feeling in her neck since the moment she regained consciousness, and some minor cuts and bruises all over her body from the impact and flying shattered glass. Veronica had inquired about her memory loss, but the nurse hadn't been able to offer up much, saying she had suffered no visible brain damage in the crash, so it was likely temporary. All her memories should return soon, she had said.

God, she hoped so.

Following this was a (thankfully short) visit from Sheriff Vinnie Van Lowe. He, too, asked her about the accident. (Veronica noted that he kept using the word 'accident' rather than 'crash' or 'attack'. Her father had obviously not told him she was now aware of the possible intention behind the event.) Finding her still unable to tell him very much, Vinnie had sighed, complimented her on still looking hot despite the cuts, bruises and tubes jammed into her body (Ew.) and left in a state of obvious disappointment. Veronica was disappointed, too; she had hoped getting some sleep would help her regain some of her lost memories, something that could help her father's case (and, in the process, she supposed, Vinnie's, too,) and find out the truth behind this accident. Being here now, still completely oblivious to what had happened and the reasons why, Veronica felt much like a caged animal.

_Maybe I should go crazy. That would at least be entertaining._

Lazing around and doing nothing was _not_ Veronica's style. She was dying to do some research on her own case (already wanting to break her promise to her father) but during his visit this morning he had refused to provide her with any more information or even her own laptop to scope out for some clues. It was maddening. Her room had a TV, of course, but all it didn't seem to play anything current or interesting. There were a lot of lame daytime soaps, talk shows and cooking programs, but nothing of any substance or that pulled Veronica's thoughts away from her own situation. Veronica found herself craving a straight-cut, generic cop show to watch so she could _at least_ put her mind to work attempting to solve _someone else's_ case, but to no avail. The closest she came was finding a channel that played reruns of _The X-Files_, which she did watch for a little bit; Mulder and Scully were FBI agents, after all, so maybe her craving could be satisfied. However, there was only so much "aliens" this and "ghostly apparitions" that Veronica could take before the lack of real criminals was too much for her and she had to shut it off.

It was because of all these factors that Veronica was laying in her bed, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling and daydreaming about the good old days of listening to police scanners and bugging apartment buildings, when a nurse came in. She was fairly young and, if her bleary eyes, slow approach and brown locks messily pushed back from her face were anything to go by, was absolutely exhausted. Veronica smiled. _At last! Some basic deducing – reading the nurse's body language._

"Rough night?" Veronica asked curiously.

The nurse chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, you could say that." She smiled weakly at Veronica before picking up a chart and scanning it. "I worked the night shift last night," she explained, "and we had about fifty different emergencies and I was on the go all night. I was all ready to get home, but we're short staffed today so they're keeping me on for the day shift, too. I haven't slept in ages." She raised the cup of coffee in her hand. "Technically, I'm not even supposed to be drinking this in the patients' rooms," she admitted guiltily, "but it's been so busy that I haven't slept in so long I can't keep my eyes open without it."

Veronica sighed, reminiscing about all the late nights she used to pull; her mind became flooded with the memories of all the investigative home break-ins she had pulled, the all-night stakeouts in her trusty old car, the evenings she had spent together with Logan, back when they used to sneak Veronica out of her house so they could head back to the Grande and –

_Whoa, there, Brain. We are __SO__ not going there right now._

Veronica shook these thoughts from her head. "I completely understand," she sympathized, smiling warmly. "Your secret is safe with me. Don't even worry about the coffee."

_Wait – coffee._ Veronica suddenly found her gaze glued to the cup in the young woman's hand. Coffee, coffee, coffee. There was a memory lurking here, right on the edge of her mind. Veronica could feel it bubbling to surface, fighting to be recalled. When had she last had coffee? Think, think … Wait. Just before her big fight with her father, hadn't she thrown out a coffee cup? … She _had_. That had to mean she had bought it earlier in the day, _before_ the argument. Yes. She _had_. She had gone out and –

The memory suddenly hit her.

* * *

><p><em>"Thank you!"<em>

_Veronica took the steaming cup graciously from the girl behind the counter. The drinks here at Java the Hutt were delicious; Veronica had come down with a mild addiction to them when, as an employee, she had gotten them for free. She rarely gave in to this craving anymore because, as a now non-employee, she was expected to pay for them herself (and they were somewhat expensive,) but today she had given in and treated herself. Things had been pretty rough between her and Piz these last few weeks and, by gosh, she deserved a bit of scrumptiousness to brighten up her morning._

_Veronica paid for her drink and was halfway to the door when someone said, "Excuse me," and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Veronica turned; a teenage girl with pin-straight black hair and tentative blue eyes looked back at her, hastily removing her hand from the blonde's shoulder._

_"Are you Veronica Mars?" the girl asked, averting her eyes and clasping her hands together anxiously._

_Veronica blinked. She had no idea who this girl was. "Um, yes." She paused. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"_

_"No …" the girl trailed off shyly. "I … I was wondering if you could help me. I have a problem."_

_"I …" Veronica was totally confused. "You mean, like, a case?"_

_The girl nodded eagerly, still not meeting Veronica's eyes. "I work part-time at the Neptune Grande," she explained. "Someone there told me I should talk to you. That you solve problems for people. They made you sound like some kind of crime-fighting legend."_

_Veronica chuckled slightly at that. She was nothing like that. If anything, she mucked things up worse than usual when she got involved. "Look," she said gently, "I'm not really big on case solving these days. I've gotten myself, and people I care about, into a lot of trouble. In fact, I promised my father I would stay out of the game for a while." The girl's face fell. Veronica quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Hey – whatever the problem is, I'm sure you can handle it. I'm no better than anyone else, really. I'm just a girl, like you are. You have the power to fix things, too." She pulled back, heading for the door. "I have faith in you. Good luck!"_

_"No! Wait!" the girl cried, running and blocking Veronica's path. Veronica sighed. "I can't handle this alone," the girl insisted. "I'm … I'm afraid." At last, she raised her eyes to meet Veronicas. The terror this girl was feeling was obvious in her eyes. Veronica felt her restraint wavering._

_"What's your name?" Veronica asked her._

_"Lisa. Lisa Avery," she replied._

_"Okay, Lisa. What's this case you have for me?" Veronica asked, her curiosity getting the better of her._

_Lisa looked around madly, eyes scanning the whole shop, before leaning in and whispering, "I think someone is stalking me."_

_"Stalking you?"_

_Lisa nodded solemnly. "I began to notice it about a week ago. One night, I was heading to my car to go home, when I saw someone standing beside it. Lurking, you know? I called out to them, asking who it was, but they didn't answer. I took a step closer but they ran away. I never saw their face, just a figure." She frowned and her eyes darted around again. "That's happened every single night since. I'm really freaked out. I don't know why this is happening to me."_

_Veronica nodded and set down her cup on a nearby table, beginning to become intrigued."Have you seen them anywhere else? Like at school?"_

_"No, but I did outside my house once," Lisa shivered. "And I would have sworn someone was watching me right here in the Hutt a couple days ago, but it was just a feeling. I didn't actually see them or anything." She raised her eyes in earnest. "Will you help me, Veronica?"_

_Veronica's mind was racing. A tiny, timid Neptune student who works at the Neptune Grande with a potential stalker? Did Lisa have some sort of dark past she hadn't revealed? Otherwise, why would she be afraid of someone stalking her? Paranoia? Who would stalk someone as timid and friendly as her, unless there was something else about her? Or, if there wasn't, what kind of sicko would be stalking her, and with what creepy intentions? Veronica would have to go home and get on the web. She'd Google Lisa's name, see what kind of history she had, and then – _

_No. She had promised her father._

_"I'm sorry, Lisa," she said. "I can't. I just … I can't." With that, Veronica picked up her drink and ran out of the Hutt, without a second glance back at the young girl's heartbroken face._

* * *

><p>Veronica snapped back to the present, the memory still fresh in her mind. Was this the case she had been working on? It was a stalking case and the timeline seemed to fit, but if the memory was right, Veronica had turned Lisa down. <em>I must have changed my mind,<em> Veronica thought. _What made me go against my father's wishes and -_

"Miss Mars?"

_Oh, right. I was talking to a nurse. Oops._

"Yes, sorry," Veronica apologized to the brunette. "What were you saying?"

The nurse gave her a concerned look, but repeated, "Your charts all look fine. Are you much pain right now?"

"No more than usual."

"Good," the nurse said. "Well, I've got other patients to check on now." She smiled. "Thanks again for not ratting me out about the coffee."

The nurse left the room, but Veronica didn't see her go. Her mind was, once again, elsewhere. The nurse had said "ratting me out". Ratting me out … Ratting … Rat … _Ratner._

* * *

><p><em>"Hey! Ratner! RATNER!"<em>

_The boy turned, sighing. "Oh, goody for me. It's Veronica Mars," he mumbled as she approached him. "Don't you have anything better to do than pester me at work?" he asked louder. _

_Veronica rolled her eyes. "It's nothing personal, Ratner … this time." She grinned as he rolled his eyes. "I just need to talk to you really quickly. Call it a favor."_

_Ratner gestured to the Grande's majestic lobby. "You do see where we are, right? Believe it or not, I have more important people within these walls to do favors for. People pay me for them. I work here. It's called 'a job'," he drawled._

_"Ha ha. Ever with the wit, Ratner."_

_He stared at her in annoyance. "You're not going to leave me alone until I talk to you, are you?"_

_"Nope," she answered cheerily._

_He sighed, giving in. "Fine. What do you want?"_

_Veronica sprang into interrogation mode. "Do you know an employee here named Lisa Avery?"_

_Ratner shrugged. "Not well, but I know who she is. Why?"_

_"She's having some sort of trouble," Veronica said. _

_"You know, I think I overheard her talking about that the other day," Ratner said. "Wait – I thought you turned her down when she asked for your help. Yet here you are." Veronica was silent. "What changed your mind, Mars?" he pressed. "What pushed you to come here? Hmm?"_

_Veronica blinked, her gaze steely and controlled. "Nothing. Can we get back to the point?"_

_Ratner smirked, having obviously hit a nerve, but let it drop. "Sure. What kind of trouble is Lisa in?"_

_"She thinks she has a stalker."_

_Ratner's face hardened instantly. "Oh,* I* see what this is all about. You're accusing me of being a stalker now, Mars? Is that it? GOD, you are SUCH a – "_

_"No!" Veronica said quickly. "It's not that! I just wondered if you've seen anything, that's all. A mysterious figure lurking around?"_

_"No," huffed Ratner. Suddenly his face changed. "No, wait – I don't know about any stalking or anything like that, but something else __has__ been going on here in the Grande recently."_

_Veronica's interest was piqued. "Like what?"_

_"Theft," Ratner explained. "Some of our wealthy guests like to keep things in our safe, you know, for safe keeping. Lately, though, things have started to go missing from it. Property being stolen. No one knows how. The other day, though, I __did__ see someone lurking around the hallway by the room that contains the safe. I didn't see a face, though."_

_"Why haven't I heard about this?" asked Veronica, skeptical._

_"They're keeping it pretty hush, hush," Ratner answered. "We don't want the bad press for the Grand, because, between us, it looks like an inside job. You would not only need the combination to the safe to steal stuff, but the room itself has a lock on the door. Only an employee with a key can get inside." Ratner thought for a moment. "Do you think these two cases are connected?"_

_"I don't know," Veronica said honestly, thinking. "I had no idea anything like this was even going on." She paused a moment, before elaborately declaring, "Gee, I __sure__ wish I could get inside that safe room and have a look …" She looked at Ratner expectantly._

_"… Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!"_

_"Please?"_

_"I could lose my job, Mars!"_

_"Come on, Ratner! If I solve this case, you get the credit! The gratitude! Maybe even a raise?"_

_Ratner sighed deeply. "I'm going to regret this." He dug inside his work uniform and pulled a key off his key ring, handing it to her. "Come back later, okay? The cleaning crew will be around there now, but they break for lunch at noon. Do it then."_

_"Thanks you," Veronica said, turning to go._

_"And Veronica?" Ratner said._

_"Hmmm?" She turned around._

_"Don't get caught."_

_"Ha."_

_"And I want my key back when you're done!" he called after her as she headed for the door._

_Veronica hardly heard him. This case was even bigger than she had imagined if these two events were, indeed, connected. There was no way her father could keep her from getting involved now! She was lucky she didn't know about the theft case this morning; that would have gotten her an even bigger earful. He didn't need to worry about her. She could handle this case, no problem. She was also glad it was helping her keep her mind off her own personal troubles. After what happened this morning, she could use the distraction. It was just a good thing that while she was here, in the Neptune Grande, of all places, she hadn't run into Logan. He did still live here, after all, and the chances of running into him were pretty high. Yes, running into Logan right now would have been very bad. It would have brought back all the pain she felt. Yes, it sure was a good thing Logan Echolls was simply nowhere to be - _

_"Leaving so soon, Mars?"_

_… Damn it._

* * *

><p>Veronica remembered that next part just fine – the big inexplicable Logan blow-up that she still didn't understand. The rest of this memory, however, was new. Thievery at the Grande? What was that all about? How was that even related to Lisa's case at all? Had she actually used to key Ratner had leant her and scoped out the safe room? And, just as Ratner had asked her, what could possibly have happened to change her mind about taking this case? What was so desperately trying to distract herself from?<p>

Most importantly, how did any of this lead to someone intentionally hitting her with a _car_?

A knock on her door pushed these thoughts from Veronica's mind. She looked up to see Mac's face peering in at her.

"Hey, Bond," her friend smiled warmly. "You have time for a chat?"

* * *

><p><strong>... And the plot thickens! At last, some insight into the mysterious case, or cases, Veronica was working on! More to come later, obviously. Does anybody have any theories?<strong>

**I just want to say, thank you SO. MUCH. for all your wonderful reviews! It makes me want to write so much more when I see that someone really appreciates my writing, and all of you reviewers have been SO. NICE. You are all fantastic and every single review I read brings the biggest, cheesiest smile to me face. Thank you. Really.**

**... Would it be awful of me now to ask for some more now? Because I do REALLY love them ;)**

**Next chapter we get to hear from Mac! I've never written Mac before, so let's hope this works out.**

**Thank you bunches for your patience, and for sticking with this crazy story of mine!**

**- LifelongObsessor**


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Seeing Mac instantly improved Veronica's mood by a good fifty percent. There was something about having a friend around that instantly made your troubles seem less frightening, something that was apparently true even if those troubles involved car accidents and the intentional infliction of bodily harm, as in Veronica's case. It had been hard for Veronica to trust another girl enough to truly befriend them after Lilly's death; the girls at Neptune High had been horribly cruel to her, perhaps the reason she had found herself growing closer to the men in her life, like Wallace or, more shockingly, Weevil. Or, more shocking still, Logan Echolls.

But Veronica wasn't thinking about all that now. She was thinking about what a kind and non-catty friend Mac was to her. It was so comforting having her here.

Furthermore, Mac was one of the most loyal and level-headed people Veronica knew. Veronica knew she could tell Mac about her case without her running off to Keith Mars. Not to mention that if Veronica was missing something obvious, surely Mac would be able to clue her in.

"Hey, Q," Veronica said cheerfully, replying to Mac's initial greeting. "How's tricks?"

Mac had been reaching for a chair but stopped at Veronica's words, turning to face her with her customary stoicism. "Did you really just say that?"

"I got hit by a truck, Mac. I may have a head injury. Don't judge me."

"Hmm. I guess that _is_ an acceptable excuse."

"If I do it again, though, _ever_, you make sure to punch me."

"Will do."

Veronica grinned. "How are you feeling?"

By this time Mac had pulled her chair over to Veronica's bedside and sat down. "Who? Me? I'm doing fine," she said lightly.

Something in her voice made Veronica suspicious. Mac was an excellent liar, but Veronica was the one person she could never fool. She knew her friend too well. "Are you sure?" she pushed.

"I'm right as rain. Really," Mac insisted, quickly changing the subject. "What about _you_, Veronica? After all, you were the one who just underwent _another_ near-death experience! This seems to be becoming a pattern with you."

"Don't remind me," Veronica moaned, putting her hands over her face. "It's like I'm a danger magnet," she continued, her voice now muffled by her hands. "No – I guess that's not true. DANGER is the magnet and I'M the metal that that keeps being drawn to it over and over and over." Veronica was in full-on Rant Mode at this point. "Life threatening situations are my catnip and I keep fighting my way back to it time and time again."

"I don't think catnip is magnetic," Mac interrupted.

Veronica removed one hand from her face to point to her forehead. "Possible brain damage, remember? Excuse me for mixing metaphors."

Mac smiled, the small grin that meant she was genuinely amused. It didn't last long, though. The smile soon faded from her face to be replaced by an expression of worry. "I'm so glad you're okay, Veronica. I thought for a minute there I was going to lose you …"

Veronica pulled her hands away from her face and observed Mac's distress. She reached out and grabbed her hand. "I'm okay, Mac, really."

Mac looked down at the floor. She was silent and staring intently, as if plagued by some deep inner conflict. After a few moments of this, Veronica was about to make a joke to lighten the mood and vanquish the stress of the situation when Mac suddenly said, "It's my fault."

Veronica blinked, confused. "What is?"

"Your being here. Your accident," Mac clarified, not looking up from the floor. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have taken on that case, Veronica. You would have been at home that night, watching TV or eating sundaes with your dad, instead of out on the roads driving to your doom." She finally looked up, meeting Veronica's eyes, and her words started to flow even faster. "I'm the one who convinced you to help Lisa out. It was me. All me. But you have to know I _never_ expected for something like this to – "

"Mac," Veronica interrupted in alarm. So _this_ is what had been bothering Mac when she came in! Mac's eyes were beginning to fill with tears, and she was not one to openly show emotion like that. This was serious. "It wasn't your fault," Veronica said firmly. "This was my fault, not yours." Veronica blinked. "Wait. No. Actually, it wasn't even MY fault. It was the fault of the asshole who decided to play Tag: Automobile Edition with me out on the road."

Mac wiped away her tears, trying to hold back a smile. "Yes, but I – "

"May have convinced me this time," Veronica continued for her. "Sure, I buy that. But I would have ended up on this case either way." She winked; the movement pulled at a cut on her face and made it tingle but she ignored it for Mac's benefit. "You know me," she continued, ignoring the pain. "Magnetic catnip, remember?"

Mac nodded. She seemed to be back to her own self. She fixed Veronica with a look, the one that said 'I Mean Business.' She asked, "Did you find anything out? On the case you were working? Could that be why the accident happened?"

Veronica shrugged helplessly. "I can't remember much about that day. I just keep having these flashes of memory, but I can't make sense of them. I'm so confused, Mac."

Mac pulled her chair closer and, smiling, said, "Tell me everything you remember."

* * *

><p>So Veronica told Mac about everything she remembered from the day of the crash. Well … <em>almost<em> everything. Her spat with Logan hardly seemed relevant at this point, so she kept that information to herself. There was no need to get into her personal life at this moment. She had to stay on task. Or, at least, that's what Veronica kept telling herself.

Mac listened attentively the entire time Veronica talked, occasionally nodding or simply saying, "Hmm," if something from Veronica's tale piqued her interest.

"So our perp may not be the stalker," Mac clarified when Veronica had finished her tale. She shook her head. "Your life is really crazy, my friend."

"It may not even be the related to my case - or cases - at all!" Veronica said indignantly. "Maybe it really was just an accident!"

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Do you really believe that?"

"I _want_ to believe."

Though her face contorted slightly at that, Mac was able to move past that comment. "So what's our next move?" she questioned. "How are we going to help you get your memory back? Or track down the identity of the driver?"

"Is there anything we CAN do?"

Mac thought. "Well, maybe we could plant bugs around – you know, in the Sheriff's office or at the Grande – but I don't know how much that'd turn up. They seem to be at as much of a standstill as we are." She considered further. "I could try to get my hands on the Grande's security footage? We could see if anyone on it looks familiar to you and sparks anything."

_Oh, I can think of one familiar face. A certain intense surfer boy, surname "Echolls". No good sparkage could possibly come from that._

_Besides, there's probably nothing on that footage anyway. Vinnie and my dad will have checked that by now._

"Nah," Veronica scoffed quickly. "Don't worry, Mac. These things just take time. I'm sure my memories will come back all on their own. With, you know, time." Seeing Mac's skepticism, she continued, "The truth has a way of making itself known, Mac. It always comes out. Why should we rush what comes naturally? After all … the truth is out there."

Mac put a hand over her eyes. "Okay, are you intentionally making _X-Files_ references, or is this entirely coincidental?"

"It's been a long day, Mac. Nothing else was on. You have no idea how frustrating watching it was."

"No, I do!" Mac said with sudden enthusiasm. "It's like, 'Mulder! Scully! You guys are obviously both crazy about each other! Stop this crazy sexual tension nonsense! Why don't you guys just get together and _do it_ already?'"

Veronica blinked.

" … I take it that's _not_ what _you_ were talking about."

"No," Veronica said slowly, amused. "Not at all."

Mac looked embarrassed. "Oh. Well, I used to think that when I watched. It was a good show. Really. Well, except for those few times that … "

Veronica didn't hear anything Mac said after that. Her thoughts were straying from her current conversation. She had that feeling again – the feeling that a memory was just within her reach, waiting to be rediscovered.

_"You guys are obviously crazy about each other!"_ Mac had said. Something about that was key. Why did that statement sounds so familiar … ?

* * *

><p><em>"You guys are obviously crazy about each other!" Mac complained. "I don't know why you can't just make it work."<em>

_"Mac, when I asked for your help, this really isn't what I meant. You're not helping. You're just making this worse. Much worse."_

_"I don't care. I've stood by long enough and watched you two spin out of control. I'm putting my foot down. Now is not the time for Nice Mac. Now is the time for Mean Mac, and Mean Mac says you two belong together. Enough is enough."_

_Veronica sighed and plopped down face-first on Mac's bed. Her eyes darted to the clock – 9:30 AM. God. Veronica had already had FAR too much drama in her day for it to still be this early. Today was going to suck, plain and simple._

_Especially since Mac seemed intent not to let this current point of interest go._

_Veronica buried her face in a pillow, groaning. Mac sat down next to her._

_"Veronica?"_

_"Ungghh."_

_"Really? This is your clever escape plan? Hiding in my pillow? You're slipping, Mars."_

_"Mmmmmpphhh."_

_"Pretending I'm not here isn't going to make me go away, you know."_

_"Nngghhhhff."_

_"Or stop me from being right."_

_Veronica sat up, placing her hands on her hips and glaring as harshly as she could. "If I say I'll consider it, will you let it go?"_

_Mac considered. "For now," she agreed, "but this discussion isn't over yet, Bond."_

_"Goody," Veronica said, her voice full of sarcasm. "Man, you're just as persistent as this girl at the Hutt this morning," she huffed._

_Mac blinked. "What girl?"_

_Veronica shrugged, picking absent-mindedly at a loose thread on Mac's comforter and being glad of the subject change. "Lisa Something-Or-Other. She cornered me and asked me to pursue this case of hers. Something about a stalker she keeps seeing at the Grande."_

_"Did you take the case?" Mac asked eagerly._

_Veronica shot her friend a look. "No. I promised my dad I'd lay off the cases for a while."_

_"That never stopped you before," Mac pointed out._

_Veronica's eyes widened in mock surprise and her hand flew to her chest. "Me? Disobey my father? Why, I would never!" she cried, her voice dripping with fake childish innocence._

_Mac was clearly unaffected. "Looking at me like you're Bambi isn't going to fix anything," she said. "I think you should take the case, Veronica. It'll help get your mind off … things."_

_Veronica shook her head. "I doubt that."_

_"In the past twenty seconds, have you thought about what happened on the beach?"_

_Veronica frowned at the recent memory. "No."_

_"Then it's working," Mac said with finality. "Take the case, Veronica."_

_It actually wasn't a bad idea, all things considered. Veronica was good at solving mysteries like this. She was also very passionate about her work; her cases tended to take up all of her head-space when she was working on one. That Lisa girl had definitely sounded like she needed help, too. Maybe Veronica's initial response had been rash. She could easily help someone in need, make some much needed cash for herself and her father, pull her mind away from that awful moment on the beach …_

_"Maybe you're right," she admitted. After a moment, she gave in. "Alright, I'll do it."_

_Mac smiled. "Good! Think you'll need any tech support from good old Q?"_

_"I'll let you know," Veronica smiled. "Thanks, Mac. I better go."_

_Veronica headed for the door, reaching for her cell phone as she walked. She should call Lisa and tell her not to fret, that Veronica Mars was on the case. She wasn't watching when the door swung open before she could reach the handle, surprising her and causing her to freeze._

_Dick Casablancas stood in the doorway._

_"Oh. Um, hi Ronnie," he said, seemingly surprised by her presence._

_Veronica blinked. She shot a quick look back at Mac, who seemed only slightly surprised by Dick's being there. Looking back, Veronica said only, "Goodbye, Dick," and slipped past him out the door as quickly as possible._

_"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," she heard Mac say as she rushed off. "You were just here last night. You need me again already?"_

_"Do I ever," Dick replied eagerly, shutting the door._

_Ew. What was going on here? Wait – that was none of her business._

_Veronica closed off her ears. Whatever was going on here, she didn't want to know. She had to call Lisa, and then head over to the Grande to work this case. As far as she could remember, Ratner was still working there. Maybe he could be of some assistance …_

* * *

><p>Veronica's head swam. It was frustrating that each of her flashbacks only seemed to create more questions, rather than answering the ones she already had.<p>

For example, what had happened on the beach that morning that made Veronica so upset? That caused her to run right to Mac's door? That convinced her to take the case so easily?

Also, what had Mac been talking about? Why was she suddenly so interested in Veronica's relationships? Veronica and Piz had been having troubles for a while now, that was no secret; had things gotten really rough? Had Mac been trying to make Veronica patch everything up? Did she really think Veronica and Piz belonged together? She had never said so before.

Oh, and perhaps most importantly, WHAT was going on between Mac and Dick? No logical explanation was coming to mind, except for …

_No. That isn't logical. It can't be true._

Mac and Max had broken up a few weeks prior, but there was no way Mac would …

_Not happening._

_And _Dick had always seemed strangely intrigued by Mac …

_Eww, Mac and Dick?_

Veronica suddenly was unsure if her friend was so awful at keeping secrets from her after all.

" … and they never had a decent kiss, either," Mac finally finished, unaware of Veronica's new memory.

Veronica shook away her previous thoughts. "That's great, Mac. Really."

Mac sighed and smiled apologetically. "I just went Nerd Girl on you, didn't I?"

"That or I'm not the only one who may or may not have a head injury."

Mac nodded knowingly. Checking her watch, she stood up and pushed her chair back. "I better go. I have somewhere to be. Unless you want me to stay and ramble on about the trials and tribulations of being an _X-Files_ fan some more …?" she joked.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "I think I'll live."

Mac smiled and headed for the door. "See you later."

As Mac left, Veronica watched her with slightly narrowed eyes.

_'Somewhere to be', eh, Mac? Somewhere with Dick?_

Did everyone have a secret these days? Could she not even trust sweet, gentle Mac to tell her the whole truth?

Veronica didn't want to think about that right now. She had her own problems to deal with in the form of a crazy man (or woman) trying to crush her with a truck.

Now she was alone again, she could buckle down and try to remember what had been happening with her case. What had she uncovered at the Grande? Now she had time to find out.

After all, how hard could it be to wrangle up one little memory?

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><p><strong>It's been a while since my last post - not as long as my USUAL hiatuses (if that is even a word), but still longer than I'd like. *sigh*<strong>

**Still more questions being raised this chapter! So frustrating! The beach? Mac and Dick? What's going on here?  
>(For the record, although I am not opposed to the pairing, I don't ship MaDi. Does that mean I won't put them together in this story? I guess you'll have to wait and see ...)<strong>

**I promise the next chapter will give us some more insight into the case Veronica was working at what happened at the Neptune Grande. It should be fun to write, and I hope fun to read as well!**

**Two apologies I would like to make (besides my usual 'I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG I'M SO SORRY' one):  
>#1) If Mac seems out of character, I'm deeply sorry. It was unintentional. I found her super hard to write, especially since I haven't watched the show in so long.<br>#2) I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE X-FILES JOKES. Obviously, I'm an X-Files fan. Honestly, in the last chapter I just threw in the reference for fun. Somehow this time it got used to progress plot and was mentioned a hundred times. I swear I'm done now - I know lots of people don't watch that show and the references can be annoying or confusing. I'm done now. For real. I am in my VMars mindset. I promise. :)  
>(If you ARE and X-Files fan, however, I occasionally write for that fandom as well. Take a look!)<strong>

**Your reviews have been so encouraging! PLEASE send me one and tell me what you think! So many smiles have been made thanks to your comments and your constructive criticism and questions have really helped me in writing the story!**

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**- LifelongObsessor**


	6. Chapter 5

**It would seem I am back to my old ways. Once again, I am MASTER OF THE LONG HIATUS. Sorry, guys. Enjoy the new chapter!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<strong>

Veronica's head was seriously beginning to hurt, but not because of the accident.

Somehow her whole life had spun out of control over the past few days. Granted, her life had always been a bit crazy, what with all the times she had solved mysteries, done some serious breaking and entering, had terrifying standoffs with murderers … but despite all those things, Veronica had always had people in her life she could count on to tell her the truth and help her out. This was the first time she had ever felt truly on her own during a case. Wallace was off in Africa and was hard to get in touch with; even if she could get him on the phone, he wouldn't be of much help. Mac was acting weird, her father was acting weirder and Logan was … well, Logan was being Logan.

Despite sitting in a room filled to the brim with flowers, candy and cards boasting cheerful "Get Well Soon" messages, Veronica had never felt more alone in her life.

It was Veronica's second day in the hospital and it hadn't started off well, largely because she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Thoughts of the previous day's visitors (Logan, Mac and her father) filled her mind. Her head swam with images and voices and sounds, refusing to let Veronica make any sort of sense of them, or at least doze off for a bit.

That had continued for the whole morning. Then her head had started pounding.

_Swell. Thanks, Head. Let's be BFFs._

A knock at the door did not go over well with her aching head, but it did pull Veronica out of her brood fest. To her surprise, it was the brunette nurse, the one with the rule-breaking coffee a few hours earlier. "You're still here?" Veronica asked incredulously. "Gosh, they sure work you people to the bone. You must feel like a zombie." She widened her eyes comically. "Are you here to eat my brain?"

The nurse smiled. "I'm pretty full right this second, actually. Maybe later." She crossed over to Veronica's bed and checked a tube in her arm. "I feel a bit better, actually. I went home and got some sleep earlier. It worked much better than that coffee did." She winked.

Veronica laughed. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," she said sincerely.

"Me too," the nurse murmured. She made a tick on Veronica's chart before turning back to her, hands on her hips. "Now we just have to fix _you_. Feel up for a walk?"

Veronica blinked. _Is she joking!_

"Well, more of a ride for you, I guess," the nurse corrected herself, seeing Veronica's confused expression. She opened the room's closet and pulled out a wheelchair.

Veronica had done a lot of things in her life, but riding in a wheelchair wasn't one of them.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, waving her hands to emphasize her point. "I'm perfectly happy right here. Besides, there's this great program on TV I was gonna watch."

_Oh, I see we're back to lying to everyone now. Real nice, Veronica. Well played._

"Nonsense," the nurse said, ignoring Veronica's words and already pulling an orderly into the room to assist her.

Before Veronica knew it, she was being lifted out of her bed by a surprisingly muscular male orderly, placed carefully in a wheelchair and finally pushed leisurely through the gardens outside the hospital, making small talk with the friendly brunette nurse who had control over the direction of her chair.

Veronica instantly regretted her initial rejection of this little stroll. The air outside was fresh and clean. Any feelings of claustrophobia she had been feeling previously had vanished. Best of all, chatting with the brunette nurse, whose name, Veronica had discovered, was Janie, had helped get her mind off of all the horrible things that had been coursing through it since she woke up in the hospital the day before. As Janie prattled on about life as a nurse, how cute the new trauma surgeon was and how pilates had changed her life, a strange sense of comfort washed over Veronica. She felt almost normal.

_Well, as normal as you can be when you're being pushed through a hospital garden in a wheelchair by an over-tired nurse and have a growing collection of tubes protruding from your body. And may or may not have someone trying to kill you._

After a few more refreshing minutes, Janie and Veronica returned to the hospital. As she was wheeled down the hall, Veronica's curiosity got the better of her and she strained to peek in the open doors of the surrounding rooms. An elderly man with a broken hip was being read to by his grandson with a huge smile on his face. A young woman was reading a magazine advertising a list of "The Top Ten Things To Do After Gall Bladder Surgery!" A teenage boy was trying to figure out how to use his Gameboy despite a broken thumb.

The average people with average injuries made Veronica smile. She noticed, though, that most of the rooms seemed to have two patients in them, yet Veronica herself had no roommate herself. Strange.

"How did I luck out and get a single room?" Veronica asked as Janie pulled open her door.

"I think a friend of yours paid for the upgrade," she replied.

Veronica frowned. "A friend, huh?"

"Mmhmm," said Janie, once again seeking help to return Veronica to her bed. "Tall guy. Gorgeous. And, um, what's the word …?"

"Incorrigible?" Veronica supplied. Why couldn't Logan Echolls just leave her alone?

"I was gonna go with thoughtful," Janie corrected. "As I understand it, he got you this room because he said you enjoyed your privacy and wouldn't want anyone asking you lots of questions about what happened to you."

Veronica's anger instantly vanished. Just when she thought she had Logan all figured out, he went and did something like this. His niceness almost ticked her off.

Janie was still talking. "He may have mentioned wanting to have you all to himself, too," she said, smiling. She raised an eyebrow. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked playfully.

"A world of no," Veronica grumbled. Anger was back, but this time it was accompanied by her good friend Confusion. Why would Logan say that? He knew she was with Piz. Was he trying to infuriate her? Was he deluded? Why would he say something to the nurse, but not her?

Veronica was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Janie left. Pushing all of her confusing ideas and emotions from her head, Veronica forced her mind back to her case. The walk and really given her a chance to clear her head. It was time to think. It was time to work all of this out. What had she remembered so far? Veronica began to compile a list of everything she could remember from the day of the crash.

First off, she had obviously gotten up and gone for coffee, probably around her usual time of 7:30. There she had met Lisa, the stalked girl, and turned down her case.

What happened next was a mystery. Something had happened to upset her, obviously, something that may or may not have happened on the beach. Whatever it was, this is what sent her running off to Mac's. Mac had changed her mind about taking the case and Veronica had set off. (She had also, of course, run into Dick, but Veronica was choosing to live in a state of happy denial about that fact.)

If Veronica had stuck to her usual case-working habits, next she had probably gone home to get any supplies she might need. Like extra cash. Or a wig. Or bugs. Whatever the case, this must have been when she had that huge fight with her father about her involvement in the case.

Then Veronica had left and gone to the Grande where she questioned Ratner and learned about the theft. All of this must have happened before noon, since Ratner had said that was when she should take a look around.

And then she ran into Logan.

Veronica quickly tried to move past that, but the only thing she could remember from afterwards was the menacing glare of headlights speeding in her direction before they smashed into her car later that evening. This was not something she really wanted to dwell on.

None of these events seemed like they could have led to someone intentionally hitting her with a car. Something_ else_ must have happened. She must have gotten a break in the case, found some incriminating evidence that proved someone's guilt, or at least hit a little too close for the comfort of her attacker. Veronica strained to remember something else, ANYTHING else, but nothing was immediately coming to mind.

Giving up for the time being, Veronica suddenly realized she was starving. She had always had an enormous appetite, something that apparently wasn't even deterred by her current physical state or the amount of drugs being pumped into her system. What time was it? It must be nearly lunch by now.

Veronica stretched and glanced at the clock.

12:04.

_Uh oh,_ Veronica thought as the memory hit. _Here we go again…_

* * *

><p><em>Sighing, Veronica checked her watch. Ratner had told her to come back to the Grande at noon to check out the valuables room. It was 12:04 now, so she was right on time. Perfect.<em>

_Standing outside the door, Veronica suddenly found herself feeling a bit nervous. It had been quite some time since she had broken in somewhere (at least on purpose – one night she had broken into a car outside of Hearst, but she had honestly thought it was hers at the time. And it had been dark. And she couldn't find her keys. And she had been desperate to hide so that creepy Hal Malarkin from the student bookstore wouldn't see her and fancy a chat.) She was probably rusty, even though this particular break in should be easy since she had a key. What if someone saw her? What if she got caught?_

_Pfft. Nonsense. She was Veronica Mars. This was gonna be child's play. _

_The key slipped into the lock and Veronica inched into dark space. She had been expecting the room to be smaller, needing only to be large enough to hold the safe Ratner had mentioned. In reality, the room was three times the size Veronica had imagined and its walls were lined with shelving. It seemed certain valuables were simply not large enough to fit inside the tiny metal box at the back of the room and these objects ended up piled along the walls. Rich people, it would seem, clearly did not travel light. At first glance Veronica could see nearly fifty antique vases, a painting that looked to be an original Monet painting and piles upon piles of unmarked file folders that, when she looked, were full of professional documents._

_It was no wonder things went missing from this room. All someone would have to do to steal from it would be to get inside. Very little was actually locked away in the safe. In fact, the room was in such a state of disarray that Veronica began to wonder if anything had truly been stolen at all. Maybe all the goods were simply buried under the mountains of junk._

_Veronica sighed. What a waste of time._

_Despite her doubts that anything had truly been stolen at all, Veronica decided to take a quick look around for any obvious signs of theft or a break-in. A quick scan of the door's frame and lock showed no scratches, indents or any other sign of anyone busting their way into the room, but someone could have used a key, either by stealing one or using one they already had in their possession if they were an employee. If something was indeed being stolen, it seemed most likely that an inside job was at hand. They would have both the means and reason to do it._

_Veronica walked slowly through the room, scanning the shelves for a sign something had been taken. Perhaps a pattern in the dust where something used to sit would be visible, or something from a set would be nowhere to be found. Veronica lifted a few objects, peeked behind a few others and paced the room's perimeter several times before heaving a heavy sigh. Nothing was obviously missing._

_Slumping down in the floor, Veronica tried to decide what to do next. She still had a young girl with a stalker and no new leads to follow. It was unlikely the so-called "theft" was connected to this case anyway. It had been a stretch to think the two events were related and Veronica had known that from the start, so she was trying very hard not to be too disappointed, but having no other leads made her feel grumpy. That paired with all the other drama of the day made her feel absolutely miserable. And also angry._

_"Damn it!" Veronica muttered angrily, slamming the shelving unit in front of her hard with both fists. She immediately regretted this; it really hurt her hands, and a few assorted objects fell off the shelf into her lap. Veronica was no fan of the filthy rich, but she knew better than to hurt their property. She was better than that. Guilt ridden, Veronica picked up the fallen trinkets and placed them back on the shelf; a pair of dainty evening gloves went back up, followed by a small stack of signed photos of Hugh Grant and a bronzed pair of baby shoes. Boy, rich people travel with the weirdest things!_

_Veronica reached for the last fallen object but stopped. The last thing lying on the floor was a small teddy bear, a teddy bear wearing a tiny sports jersey and wearing an expression that made it look almost smug. Veronica squinted at it in the dark, bringing it up to her face to read the writing on the bear's chest. "GO HEARST!" was written in a bold font on the bear's tiny jersey. Veronica recognized this bear; it looked just like the ones they sold for a couple of dollars at her school's sports games and other events._

_This was strange. What was a cheap trinket teddy bear from Hearst doing nestled in among all this expensive merchandise? Why was it being kept in the safe room?_

_Sesame Street was right; one of these things just didn't belong here._

_With renewed energy from this mysterious find, Veronica once again searched the room for clues, this time paying special attention to what the shelved objects were in case something else seemed out of place. She had no such luck – every else seemed to be worth at least a few hundred dollars and its placement in the room was to be expected._

_Veronica checked her watch; she had been in here for some time now. If she didn't leave soon, she could be caught and would get Ratner, and herself, in a lot of trouble. Deciding there was no more she could do here, Veronica crossed the room and made to leave, taking the bear with her for further analysis._

_Her hand was on the door handle when she heard a cough from outside the door. Veronica froze, ear to the door. Someone was definitely moving outside, multiple people from the sound of it. Veronica pulled the door open a crack. At least three cleaning ladies were out in the hallway, just across for the safe room door. Veronica cursed quietly; Ratner had said the cleaning crew wouldn't be in this hallway this time of day! Leave it to him to get the facts wrong. He really should have double-checked his facts; after all, if she got caught, Ratner was going down with her._

_The women in the hallway made no sign of moving any time soon. Veronica was stuck. This wasn't good – she had places to be, things to do! She couldn't stay in this room all day!_

_Then something miraculous happened. A male voice called out from down the hallway, causing all the cleaning ladies to momentarily abandon their post and head off in that direction. It would certainly be risky for Veronica to attempt to leave now; after all, the women were only a few feet down the hallway. However, Veronica knew this may be the best chance of escape she saw in a long time. She had to try._

_As quickly and quietly as possible, Veronica pulled open the door and slipped out into the hallway. A quick glance behind her proved the cleaning ladies weren't paying her any attention, so she walked as casually as possible down the hall and rounded a corner just as she heard the women return to their previous post._

_Veronica was all set to book it out of the Grande, but stopped herself before she had gone too far. Why had all those ladies been skulking around the safe room? Had they really been about to clean, or did they have other motives? Could they have been thieves?_

_Veronica sighed. Fine. One last mini investigation and then she would be out of there._

_Veronica returned to the hallway, a giant fake smile plastered on her face. "Excuse me!" she called sweetly to the group of women._

_The nearest woman turned around and returned Veronica's smile. She was middle-aged and had a few streaks of grey in her blond hair. "Can I help you, sweetie?" she asked gently._

_Veronica nodded solemnly with fake concern. "I certainly hope so. My family and I were here on vacation. We're just about to leave, but I realized that the necklace my grandmother gave me just before her death is still locked up for safe keeping. I absolutely must get it back before we leave." She looked up hopefully at the woman, doing her best impersonation of Bambi. "Would you be able to help me get it back?"_

_The woman made a sympathetic noise and put her hand on Veronica's shoulder, smiling sadly. "I would love to help you, sweetie, but I don't have that kind of access." She pointed just past Veronica to the room with the safe. "Your necklace is most likely in there with the other valuables, but those of us on the cleaning crew aren't allowed inside, even to tidy up. I don't have the key for that lock, nor do most members of the staff."_

_"Lucky for us," the second lady muttered. "With all these thefts happening lately, you know who they'd like to blame for this whole thing. Can't very well blame us poor folk now, can they? Didn't trust us to begin with. Only trust the ones they get all trussed up pretty."_

_"Bea, shush," the first women said, shooting her a warning look. Veronica pretended she hadn't heard this little exchange._

_Veronica frowned. "Are you sure there's no way you can get me inside?" She looked hard at the woman, looking for any sign she may be lying._

_This lady, however, seemed to be totally genuine. She shook her head sadly. "Sorry, sweetie. Why don't you ask down at the concierge desk? I'm sure they can help you out."_

_Veronica sighed. "Okay, thank you," she said and turned her back on the women._

_Walking back down the hallway, Veronica stared down at the little Hearst bear. This case made less and less sense. The cleaning staff being behind the thefts seemed unlikely, and apparently much of the other staff members couldn't have either as they didn't have the key. That woman Bea had said only the well dressed staff members had keys – that must include people who performed the same job as Ratner, like Lisa, the stalked girl. Speaking of Lisa, what was the connection between these two cases? Was there one? And what did a tiny, stuffed piece of Hearst memorabilia have to do with any of this?_

_Veronica strolled into the Grande's parking area, with all these thoughts floating around her head. All of them vanished, however, when she saw a figure shrouded by shadows standing near her car._

* * *

><p>Veronica nearly screamed with frustration when she snapped back to reality. <em>Really, Brain? REALLY? You chose to end my flashback THERE? Just when we were getting somewhere …<em>

So she had, in fact, broken into the Grande's room for precious objects. She had learned very little, obviously, except that it would have been incredibly challenging for the cleaning staff to commit the crimes and that, somehow, a tiny Hearst bear had found its way inside. Why was that even important? Veronica couldn't make heads or tails of any of this.

Also, who had been standing by her car? Were they the one that caused her accident? Did they know something? Who was the mysterious stranger?

A voice suddenly pulled Veronica from her reverie. "Hey," Janie said, strolling back into Veronica's room. "It's well after lunchtime. You must be famished. Can I bring you some lunch?"

Veronica smiled. Food! Always a welcome distraction. "That would be great," she said.

Janie smiled. "Sure thing. Can I get you anything else?"

Veronica opened her mouth to say no, but closed it before the words came out. "Actually, yeah," she said. "I know it's silly, but there's a little something I'd love if you could get my dad to bring it in from home. It should be in my bedroom."

"I can definitely ask him to get that for you. What is it?" the friendly nurse chimed.

"My teddy bear," Veronica answered. "My tiny Hearst teddy bear."

It was time to get some answers.

* * *

><p><strong>This is definately not my best chapter ever, but it was necessary to get out some more facts about the case. I much prefer writing chapters with more dialogue and character interaction, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.<strong>

**To all you fantastic readers out there, THANK YOU for all the support and praise you've been giving this story! I love reading all your speculations about what's going on in Veronica's cases and what other facts she may be missing. Some of you are so involved! I hate having such huge waits between chapters for those of you that are so dedicated.**

**Also, I'd like to give a special shout-out to Ailve for the suggestion I do a timeline portion so you can all keep track of what's-what. I have a document on my computer with the exact times and order things happen in to keep me on track, but you guys don't, obviously. I'm glad for the feedback and hope it helped you have a better grasp on the story. Thanks again!**

**Next chapter (whenever that may get here) we'll be reuinted with another beloved character from the show who hasn't shown their face yet. Should be interesting.**

**PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE shoot me a review! It really makes me more motivated to write when I hear from all of you. What do you like? What don't you like? What do you think is going on? Who tried to hurt Veronica? Speculate away, my pals! Let me know!**

**I hope you are all enjoying the fic so far! I hope to hear from you all soon!**

**- LifelongObsessor**


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